Paris Hilton has stated that she is a "huge supporter of the gay community" after she was caught making derogatory comments about homosexuals.

The reality TV star and socialite was recorded on tape claiming that gay people are "disgusting" and "most of them probably have Aids" as she sat in a New York cab with a friend discussing gay phone app Grindr, reported TMZ.com.

"Ewwww... gay guys are the horniest people in the world. Most of them probably have Aids... I would be so scared if I was a gay guy... you'll like die of Aids," she was overheard saying.

Paris later admitted the gaffe but insisted that she was trying to express the importance of safe sex and that her comments were not a reference to "all gays".

"Paris Hilton's comments were to express that it is dangerous for anyone to have unprotected sex that could lead to a life threatening disease," her spokesperson told the website.

"The conversation became heated, after a close gay friend told her in a cab ride, a story about a gay man who has Aids and is knowingly having unprotected sex. Her comments were in reference to those people promoting themselves on the site. The cab driver who recorded this, only provided a portion of the conversation. It was not her intent to make any derogatory comments about all gays."

They added: "Paris Hilton is a huge supporter of the gay community and would never purposefully make any negative statements about anyone's sexual orientation."